Singer Roy Drusky, Atlanta native, dies after lengthy illness

<p>Country singer and songwriter Roy Drusky, who had several hits in the 1960s including the duet "Yes Mr. Peters," died Thursday. He was 74.</p><p>Drusky died after a lengthy illness, according to a spokeswoman for the Grand Ole Opry, where he was a cast member since 1959.</p><p>Plans for a memorial service will be announced later.</p><p>Drusky, an Atlanta native, was a crooner with a smooth, mellow baritone. He sang in the church choir as a boy and bought his first guitar while in the Navy, according to his Opry biography.</p><p>A baseball enthusiast, he formed a band after an unsuccessful tryout with the Cleveland Indians. He performed regularly on WEAS radio in Decatur, Ga., before becoming a disc jockey at KEVE in Minneapolis.</p><p>Around this time, Faron Young had a couple of No. 1 hits with Drusky's compositions "Alone With You" and "Country Girl" _ encouraging Drusky to move to Nashville where he landed a deal with Decca Records.</p><p>Drusky's hits included "Another" and "Anymore." He had a novelty song with "Peel Me a Nanner" in 1963, and a year later had his only No. 1 with "Yes Mr. Peters," a duet with Priscilla Mitchell.</p><p>He continued to chart country songs until 1977. In later years he recorded gospel albums and performed with evangelist Kenneth Cox.</p>